Rockingham High School - Rocket Yearbook (Rockingham, NC)

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Hoist the anchor-we're off! lt's September, I948, and a crew of two hundred and seventy-five untried seamen stand breathless on deck as the U.S.S. Rocket embarks on its maiden voyage. ln the dis- tance stretches the boundless blue of untraveled seas, a limitless expanse of surging waters. In our ears sings the song of the wind, punctuated at intervals by the cry of sea gulls. We stand on deck, exhilerated by the sting of the salt spray in our faces and somewhat awed by the immensity of the billows that crash and thunder around us. We're not to be intimidated by those who warn us of the hardships attendant upon a four-year voyage over untraveled seas. We're wanderlusts- we've heard the call of the sea and we've answered! For behind the rolling walls of fog looms the legend- ary port-the land where glittering air castles assume reality and day dreams come true. Beneath the unfathomed depths of ocean lie fabulous riches and untold wealth. And so it is with courageous hearts and un- daunted spirits that we place ourselves in the charge of our captains and trusting in their wisdom and hoping for favorable weather, we put out to sea. And as the wind billows the sails and the vessel plows through the waves, the gallant crew bands together. lt doesn't take us long to gain our sea legs. Under the expert tutelage of our captains we learn to .JQQMLL jk .f41fwA,0r

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handle the ropes skillfully, to avoid the treacherous shoals and to tack against an adverse current. When seemingly insurmountable waves buffet our small craft and the winds whistle through the rigging, we stick to our guns and weather the gale. Often in the stress of a storm our vessel springs a leak, then sounds the command, All hands on deck! and with a right good will we set to work to make our good ship seaworthy once more. But not all our days are stormy ones. Many are the horn pipes we've danced under starry skies while the ship rode at anchor on the languid waters of a tropical sea. Many a time, at the advice of our captains, we've veered from our charted course to explore the mysteries of some unfamiliar lagoon and to delve into the riches we found there. And so the days have passed-stormy days, peaceful days, happy days-each one important because each one has seen the U.S.S. Rocket a little nearer its destined port-each one unforgettable because, whether stormy or calm, its work and play have been shared by the members of the crew. As we gaze about us now in l952 as we begin the last lap of our voyage, we see that our crew is somewhat diminished in number. Some have yielded to the song of the Sirens, others have stopped by the wayside to dream away their days on some tropical island. We who have weathered the storms and who see our port in sight present your l952 Rocket, the log book of our maiden voyage. are OH